A new bill at the Statehouse would put limits on the number of patients one registered nurse can care for.
State Sen. Michael Skindell, a Lakewood Democrat, says the goal is to make sure registered nurses aren’t caring for more patients than they can handle at one time.
“Nurse-to-patient ratios are based on the seriousness of the condition being treated or medical procedure being performed. Ohio currently has no limits on how many patients a nurse can care for at any one time.”
The Ohio Hospital Association’s John Palmer says his group opposes a mandated-staffing ratio because all nurses and patients are different.
The bill would only affect registered nurses – not licensed practical nurses or medical assistants. And it’s facing an uphill challenge because it doesn’t have widespread bipartisan support at this point.
